A Poet at Sumiyoshi

Dr. Satoh visited our high school to recruit candidate students for their university, Kinki University. He gave us a common appeal of his university, and then, abruptly enough, started talking about Itoh, a poet. According to him, the poet used to be a teacher of Sumiyoshi Secondary School, the before-World-War-II predecessor of Sumiyoshi Senior High School. His story moved on to his major, Mishima Yukio, one of the most famous novelists after the war, who is also known as a chauvinist. The novelist respected the poet very much, imitated his poems, and even once visited Sumiyoshi SS to see him.
A math teacher here knew that we have a stone monument for Itoh along the small alley which leads from an old gate, which used to be a front main gate of the school, to school buildings. Dr. Saitoh was excited with the information, and left the office in rather indecent but lovely haste.
Walking from the old gate, approaching to the school gym, you can find a deep-green stone monument on your left, between the alley and the ground, surrounded by a small bush, Sumiyoshi no Mori. A poem is carved in white. Koh’ya no Uta, the poem is titled.

Koh'ya no uta
(The Song of an Empty Field)
Itoh Shizuo
waga shisemu utsukushiki hi no tame ni
(For a beautiful day when I may have died)
renrei no musoh yo! na ga shirayuki o
(Mountains of dreams! Have not your white snow)
kesazu are
(melted away)
ikigurushii kihaku no kore no koh'ya ni
(In this air-thin empty field)
hitoshirenu izumi o sugi
(Past an unknown fountain)
tokijiku no ki no mi ururu
(Past a hidden place)
kakure taru basho o sugi
(with ever-fragrant citrus ripening)
ware no maku hana no shirushi
(On the day when my seeds come to show,)
chikazuku hi waga nakigara o hikan uma o
(these signs would lead home)
kono shime wa izanai kaesamu
(a horse that pulls my coffin.)
aa kakute waga towa no kikyoh o
(Alas! Thus my eternal homecoming is)
kohki naru na ga shiroki hikari miokuri
(seen off by your white beacons)
ki no mi teri izumi wa warai---
(by the shining berries, and by a rippling fountain.)
waga itaki yume yo kono toki zo tsuini
(My aching dreams will rest forever)
yasurawamu mono!
(on this moment at last!)